Thrust-bearing for propeller-shafts



(No Model.)

M.' IMMISGH. THRUST BEARING FOR PROPELLER SHAPTS.

Patehted Nov. 7, 1893.

s m d. 3 ms d ATTUR/VE Y fi 231 Km.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORITZ IMMISOH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE IMMISCH ELECTRIC NAVIGATION AND POWER COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

TH RUST-BEARING FOR PROPELLER-SHAFTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,170, dated November '7, 1893. Application filed November 21, 1891. Serial No. 412.676- (No model.) Patented in Englan August 1 1339;

T0 and whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORITZ IMMISCH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thrust-Bearings for Propeller-Shafts, (patented in England by Letters Patent No. 12,481, dated August 14, 1889,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The objects of my invention are to obtain an anti-friction bearing which shall be especially adapted to the propeller-shaft of a small marine vessel, for counteracting the endwise thrust of the shaft in either direction under the impulse of the propeller, and the resistance of the water in which the vessel floats; and to adapt such a thrust-bearing to be readily opened for cleaning and renewing the parts and as readily adjusted for taking up wear; and also to adapt the same to be conveniently combined with or attached to a pillow-block of a rotary motor employed to drive the shaft.

This invention consists in an improved thrust bearing so adapted, as hereinafter more particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a thrustbearing embodying this invention. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation thereof; and Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section through the stern of a vessel, showing the propeller-shaft and its motor together with the improved thrust-bearing.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

The letter A indicates a collar, preferably of hardened steel, which, by means of a key B and its screw nut, or other suitable fastenings, is made fast on a shaft 0 within a fixed casingD, preferably of gun-metal. This casing D of the improved thrust-bearing has a circumferential joint, at midlength of its chamber, between its respective parts, and these parts are drawn together longitudinally by external means, as, for example, by screws D Figs. 1 and 2, uniting three pairs of radial lugs D on the respective parts of the casing.

As used in connection with a rotary motor, Y Fig. 3, the improved thrust-bearing is mounted on the motor bed Z, being combined with or attached to a pillow-block E of the motor shaft, which in this case is the said shaft 0. The propeller-shaft proper is indicated by the letter K in Fig. 3, and is joined endwise to said shaft 0 by a coupling marked I J L in said Fig. 3. That part of the casing marked D in Figs. 1 and 2 constitutes an easily handled cap, which can be moved along the shaft to expose the parts within the casing, including said screw-nut of the key B, so that access to all the parts may be easily had, as for adjustment or renewal to compensate for wear, or for inspecting and cleaning the parts. On opposite sides of the fast collar A on the shaft C, are collars F F, also preferably of hardened steel, which are loose with respect to the shaft. Between the two end-faces a a of the fast collar A and the opposing end-faces of the loose collars F F, two series of anti-friction rollers G, also preferably of hardened steel, are interposed. These rollers are preferably spherical, or in the form of balls, as shown, and to properly coact with such rollers the respective endfaces of the fast collar A are conical in general form and at the'same time concave, the collar being thicker toward the center than at its perimeter, and the loose collars F F have opposing concave end-faces which project inward or overhang the rollers at the perimeter of the collars, as shown in Fig. 1. The spherical rollers are thus confined between said end-faces so that they are at all times kept out of contact with the shaft and casing, and at the same time their lines of contact with the respective collars may vary slightly under strain in either direction without impairing their efficiency, while the tendency at all times is to keep the shaft concentric with the casing and said loose collars, and to prevent or reduce friction.

If desired, pins or other suitable fastenings may be employed to render the loose collars F F non-rotary within the casing D, and the casing may be provided with means for lubricating the rollers G and said end-faces in contact with which they revolve. As shown in Fig. 1, a lubricator for this purpose may 100 be conveniently applied at H.

It will be seen that the improved thrustbearing is equally effective whether the vessel is being driven forward or backward, and that it can be tightened or loosened, or opened to expose the internal parts, without dropping 5 the shaft, and with the utmost facility.

Having thus described the said improvements, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A thrust-bearing for a propeller-shaft com- 10 posed of a collar fast on the shaft, a pair of loose collars on opposite sides of such fast collar, two series of anti-friction rollers interposed between the fast collar and the respective loose collars, and a fixed casin g which incloses said collars and rollers and comprises I 5 a part combined with a pillow-block of a rotary motor by which the shaft is driven, a cap part movable longitudinally upon the shaft to expose the collars and rollers, and external means by which the respective parts of the 20 casing are drawn together longitudinally, substantially as hereinbefore described.

MORITZ IMMISGI-I. Witnesses:

CHAS. A. ALLISON, HARRY A. MCLELLAN. 

